The Work-Life Balancing Act

Chris Perry, November 1, 2010

Many professionals encounter times in their
careers when they are overwhelmed by the workload
on the job and are forced to establish a better
work-life balance or face total burnout. Maybe your
company has downsized, leaving you and those remaining
with more work and responsibilities; maybe you are
managing multiple jobs to make ends meet; or maybe
you're in a new role that is leaving you completely
inundated at the end of each day.

No matter what your situation is, try following
some or all of the following steps to establish a
better and healthier work-life balance:

Draw the Line: The first step
is to literally and figuratively draw the line on
when you will be at work and when you will not. If
you stay at work all the time and are responding
to emails 24/7, your employer will come to expect
that from you. You need a life of your own to stay
motivated and healthy (physically, emotionally and
mentally), and if your employer is not okay with
that, then that is a problem in and of itself. If
such is the case, you might consider seeking a new
opportunity. Also, make sure to draw the line while
at work. Take breaks between meetings for a moment
or two of downtime so you can come back to the next
one recharged.

Make Friends: Make sure that
you have a network of friends in the office who you
can talk to or eat lunch with for a little downtime
during the day. Also, investigate how these people
are feeling about things at work. It may not solve
the problem to learn that you're not the only one
feeling the pressure, but it definitely feels better
to know that you're all in the same boat together.

You're Only Human: There are
always going to be too many projects to manage,
objectives to achieve and follow-ups to follow up
on for one sane individual with an appropriate
work-life balance to maintain. At the end of the
day, you're only one human being and can only do
what you can do. Make sure you tell yourself that
for your own sanity.

Put Your Health First: This
may sound obvious, but few individuals can survive
without solid rest over the long term. Make sure
you are getting enough sleep to recharge for the
next day. Also, make sure you stay hydrated and
move around every once in a while during the day.
If you can afford time to exercise or take a walk
at lunchtime, this can be a great way to start
working on your physical well-being, which will
naturally come back to support you as you put it
to the test each day at work.

Ping Your Managers: Keep your
managers aware of what you're doing and accomplishing
on a weekly basis so that there is no way to deny
you have been working on priority projects. And
don't hesitate to let your managers know about your
busy situations and ask for a reprioritization of
projects each week so that you have their direction
on what needs to be worked on first or next.

Stay Organized: As you're
monitoring the key priorities each week, stay
organized and focused on those priorities and
objectives, or you may find yourself in the same
place you started. Keep "to-do" lists, set time
aside on your calendar and set reminders to keep
you on track. Also, make sure you file your emails
and paperwork as you get them so they don't pile
up in your inbox or on your desk.

Show Appreciation: Every once
in a while, send an email or note to someone with
whom you work and tell them something you appreciate
about them or thank them for their help on a given
project. This not only builds stronger relationships
with others but also team morale and makes everyone
feel better and more motivated to help you in the
future (making your job a little easier). And what
goes around comes around. You might be surprised
at how much others appreciate you.

Learn Something New or Do Something
Different: Sometimes, stress and unhappiness
at work stems from boredom and having the same
routine day after day. If that is the case for you,
try doing things differently or seek opportunities
to learn something new or join a cross-functional
team where you can contribute in a new way. If those
are not available to you in your current role, it
can never hurt to look at other opportunities.
Remember, in the end, you have to take care of
yourself, your own career and your own personal
fulfillment and satisfaction.